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TRYON: My brush with Gen. Allen

Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:13 p.m.

At the risk of going all Jill Kelley by name-dropping, I'm disclosing my own brush with John R. Allen -- four-star general, former commander of the Tampa-based Central Command, leader of American and allied forces in Afghanistan, nominee to become NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe.

Yes, that John R. Allen, the Marine caught in the crossfire between Kelley -- a Tampa socialite -- and author Paula Broadwell, whose recently disclosed affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation as director of the CIA.

Although key parts of the story have not been publicly confirmed, news media have reported that catty emails sent from Broadwell to Kelley triggered an FBI investigation that eventually disclosed Petraeus' affair with his biographer -- Broadwell, who was afforded, um, embedded status with the general while he was commander in Afghanistan.

The probe also led to the discovery of emails between Allen -- a Petraeus protege -- and Kelley who, along with her physician husband, routinely entertained generals and other brass from the Central Command headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.

The emails between Allen -- who, like Petraeus, is married -- and Kelley have been described differently, from "potentially inappropriate" to "routine stuff."

Spokesmen for Allen have vehemently denied that the general and Kelley had an inappropriate relationship; no evidence has surfaced publicly to suggest otherwise.

Nevertheless, the potential for scandal has resulted in Allen's nomination for commander of NATO Europe being put on hold.

Kelley had exceptional access to MacDill and high-ranking officers as a "voluntary ambassador" for the military base. Still, I'm struck by how far the general let down his guard while writing recorded, traceable emails.

Even if he had not been drawn into the controversy involving Petraeus -- who was Allen's predecessor at Central Command and in Afghanistan -- most users of email and the Internet are aware of the potential for accounts to be hacked or covertly accessed.

My experience with Allen -- OK, I only met him once, at an event attended by 100 people -- suggests he is not a careless man, even after hours or off the base.

The occasion was a dinner engagement, hosted in July 2010 by the short-lived Sarasota-Manatee World Affairs Council, at the Longboat Key Club.

Ironically, Petraeus was scheduled to be the speaker, but he canceled after being appointed to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as allied commander in Afghanistan.

A commanding presence

Allen did not have the same name recognition as Petraeus but, from the moment he entered the venue, he was a commanding presence. He captivated the dining companions at his table, displaying the erudition of a military scholar and the ramrod toughness of a Marine. During his speech, he articulated a deep grasp of history and politics, while breaking down military strategy to its macho essence -- to kill the bad guys.

Speaking of the speech: The organizer of the event had led me and a former journalist to believe that we'd be on stage with Allen for a "conversation" with the general. Also promised was open access for any and all media, a condition of my participation; there's little point in journalists' attending events that are off the record.

When we were introduced to Allen and mentioned possible conversation topics, the general was clearly troubled -- though, to his credit, courteous and amiable.

Within minutes, a high-ranking officer in Allen's entourage approached with a simple message: No on-stage conversation; the general would deliver prepared remarks and then take select questions from the audience.

That stance was no surprise. After all, Allen had been placed in charge of Central Command because Petraeus was advanced to Afghanistan to take over from McChrystal, who left the post after he and his aides spoke too candidly to a reporter for Rolling Stone.

What's more, Allen wanted to be in control of his message and had no reason to pander to local journalists. Eventually, he agreed to allow my colleague and me to sit on the stage; we each asked a lame question, then the general took over.

He was impressive but broke no new ground and divulged no secrets. (As if he were going to whisper to a crowd of 100 civilians: "Don't anyone tell the Taliban, but here's our covert strategy ...")

Among other statements, reported the following morning by Anthony Cormier of the Herald-Tribune, Allen said the United States is "not acting alone in our efforts to achieve success," and the military is "keeping a close eye on Iran." Basic stuff.

Since the event had been publicly advertised, Cormier stood in the back of the crowd, clearly taking notes; anyone who surveyed the room saw him.

Yet, after the speech, the public-relations officer appealed to me to intervene and prevent publication of a story, saying the speech was "off the record." I referred him to the executive editor in charge of reporters; he rightly declined to suppress the story, citing the openness of the event and the lack of any secret revelations.

I never blamed Allen for any of this; there was a misunderstanding over the terms of engagement. Kind of like his misunderstanding of the rules of engagement in the digital age, where the record is always on.

<p>At the risk of going all Jill Kelley by name-dropping, I'm disclosing my own brush with John R. Allen -- four-star general, former commander of the Tampa-based Central Command, leader of American and allied forces in Afghanistan, nominee to become NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe.</p><p>Yes, that John R. Allen, the Marine caught in the crossfire between Kelley -- a Tampa socialite -- and author Paula Broadwell, whose recently disclosed affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation as director of the CIA.</p><p>Although key parts of the story have not been publicly confirmed, news media have reported that catty emails sent from Broadwell to Kelley triggered an FBI investigation that eventually disclosed Petraeus' affair with his biographer -- Broadwell, who was afforded, um, embedded status with the general while he was commander in Afghanistan.</p><p>The probe also led to the discovery of emails between Allen -- a Petraeus protege -- and Kelley who, along with her physician husband, routinely entertained generals and other brass from the Central Command headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.</p><p>The emails between Allen -- who, like Petraeus, is married -- and Kelley have been described differently, from "potentially inappropriate" to "routine stuff."</p><p>Spokesmen for Allen have vehemently denied that the general and Kelley had an inappropriate relationship; no evidence has surfaced publicly to suggest otherwise.</p><p>Nevertheless, the potential for scandal has resulted in Allen's nomination for commander of NATO Europe being put on hold.</p><p>Kelley had exceptional access to MacDill and high-ranking officers as a "voluntary ambassador" for the military base. Still, I'm struck by how far the general let down his guard while writing recorded, traceable emails.</p><p>Even if he had not been drawn into the controversy involving Petraeus -- who was Allen's predecessor at Central Command and in Afghanistan -- most users of email and the Internet are aware of the potential for accounts to be hacked or covertly accessed.</p><p>My experience with Allen -- OK, I only met him once, at an event attended by 100 people -- suggests he is not a careless man, even after hours or off the base.</p><p>The occasion was a dinner engagement, hosted in July 2010 by the short-lived Sarasota-Manatee World Affairs Council, at the Longboat Key Club.</p><p>Ironically, Petraeus was scheduled to be the speaker, but he canceled after being appointed to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as allied commander in Afghanistan.</p><p>A commanding presence</p><p>Allen did not have the same name recognition as Petraeus but, from the moment he entered the venue, he was a commanding presence. He captivated the dining companions at his table, displaying the erudition of a military scholar and the ramrod toughness of a Marine. During his speech, he articulated a deep grasp of history and politics, while breaking down military strategy to its macho essence -- to kill the bad guys.</p><p>Speaking of the speech: The organizer of the event had led me and a former journalist to believe that we'd be on stage with Allen for a "conversation" with the general. Also promised was open access for any and all media, a condition of my participation; there's little point in journalists' attending events that are off the record.</p><p>When we were introduced to Allen and mentioned possible conversation topics, the general was clearly troubled -- though, to his credit, courteous and amiable.</p><p>Within minutes, a high-ranking officer in Allen's entourage approached with a simple message: No on-stage conversation; the general would deliver prepared remarks and then take select questions from the audience.</p><p>That stance was no surprise. After all, Allen had been placed in charge of Central Command because Petraeus was advanced to Afghanistan to take over from McChrystal, who left the post after he and his aides spoke too candidly to a reporter for Rolling Stone.</p><p>What's more, Allen wanted to be in control of his message and had no reason to pander to local journalists. Eventually, he agreed to allow my colleague and me to sit on the stage; we each asked a lame question, then the general took over.</p><p>He was impressive but broke no new ground and divulged no secrets. (As if he were going to whisper to a crowd of 100 civilians: "Don't anyone tell the Taliban, but here's our covert strategy ...")</p><p>Among other statements, reported the following morning by Anthony Cormier of the Herald-Tribune, Allen said the United States is "not acting alone in our efforts to achieve success," and the military is "keeping a close eye on Iran." Basic stuff.</p><p>Since the event had been publicly advertised, Cormier stood in the back of the crowd, clearly taking notes; anyone who surveyed the room saw him.</p><p>Yet, after the speech, the public-relations officer appealed to me to intervene and prevent publication of a story, saying the speech was "off the record." I referred him to the executive editor in charge of reporters; he rightly declined to suppress the story, citing the openness of the event and the lack of any secret revelations.</p><p>I never blamed Allen for any of this; there was a misunderstanding over the terms of engagement. Kind of like his misunderstanding of the rules of engagement in the digital age, where the record is always on.</p><p>Tom Tryon is opinion editor. Tom.Tryon@heraldtribune.com.</p>